Influence of intense scavenging on Pa-Th fractionation in the wake of Kerguelen Island (Southern Ocean)

Abstract

Dissolved and particulate excess 230Th and 231Pa concentrations (noted 230Th xs and 231Paxs respectively) and 231Pa xs/ 230Th xs activity ratios were investigated on and out of the Kerguelen plateau (Southern Ocean) in the framework of the Kerguelen Ocean and Plateau compared Study project in order to better understand the influence of particle flux and particle chemistry and advection on the scavenging of 231Pa. In the wake of Kerguelen, particulate 231Paxs is relatively abundant compared to its content in the dissolved phase. This, together with the low fractionation observed between 230Th and 231Pa (F Th/Pa ranging from 0.06 ± 0.01 to 1.6 ± 0.2) reflects the domination of the biogenic silica in the particle pool. Along the eastern escarpment of the Kerguelen plateau, the strong 231Paxs horizontal gradient in the deep waters highlights the intense removal of 231Pa at depth, as already observed for 230Th xs. This local boundary scavenging was attributed to re-suspension of opal-rich particles by nepheloid layers, resulting in fractionation factors F Th/Pa ≤ 1 along the Kerguelen plateau slope. Therefore, both the composition (biogenic opal) and the flux (intense along the margin) of particles control the scavenging of the two radionuclides in the Kerguelen wake. The modelling of 231Pa distribution with an advection-scavenging model demonstrates that lateral advection of open ocean water on the Kerguelen plateau could supply most of the 231Pa, which is then efficiently scavenged on the highly productive plateau, as previously proposed for 230Th xs. It stresses that lateral advection can play a significant role in the overall budget of particle reactive trace elements in a coastal-open ocean system. © 2011 Author(s).